Charlton Heston Playing Henry Hooker in Tombstone
Like several of the other famous actors in the cast of Tombstone, actor Charlton Heston only appeared in a handful of moments as the famed rancher Henry Hooker. His parts were filmed at a time in the production when Writer Kevin Jarre was still working as the film’s director, making them some of the first to be captured on film. In earlier versions of the screenplay, Hooker was intended to play a more significant role in the movie.
Henry Hooker in Reality & Fiction
During the time of the Old American West, Henry Clay Hooker was a notable and affluent rancher. He established the Sierra Bonita Cattle Ranch, becoming the most prominent American ranch in the Arizona Territory. Wyatt Earp counted him as a close friend and sought his assistance following the Earp Vendetta Ride.
Henry Hooker was honored by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum by being inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners in 1959.
Charlton Heston played the role of Hooker in the classic movie Tombstone, released in 1993. A famed actor with features that look like they were carved from stone and a stellar reputation for portraying a significant list of historical personalities. Charlton Heston, who was described as tall, very well-built, and of an attractive rugged appearance, was one of the most successful leading men in the history of Hollywood and continued to work in front of the camera for more than sixty years.

When George Cosmatos took over as director of the picture, a significant portion of Charlton Heston’s scenes were likely removed because they were deemed unnecessary. Heston was left little more than a cameo role in the film, in which he portrays a hardened rancher who is not involved in the fight. His casting alongside larger-than-life figures like Wyatt Earp and Curly Bill Brocius gives his character a sense of gravitas and importance.
Tombstone was initially directed by Kevin Jarre. He also penned the screenplay for the film. When the movie was first shown, he regarded the part of Henry Hooker as playing a far more significant role in the plot than he did later on. Early in the production process Jarre was cut from his role as director, and his successor made significant changes to the part.
Charlton Heston – the Timeless Heroic Character
After making a rash decision to try out for a high school play, Heston launched himself on the path that led to him becoming a movie star. Because of his expertise in performing on stage while he was in high school, he was awarded a scholarship to attend Northwestern University. After transferring to New York City (1946), he made his debut on Broadway the same year in the production of Antony and Cleopatra (1947). Soon after, he was offered parts in live television productions and accepted them. He made his debut in the starring role of William Dieterle’s Dark City, his first Hollywood picture (1950).
Charlton Heston was one of the most imposing performers of his era. His imposing stature and thunderous voice generating his presence on the screen, allowed him to play characters larger than life. As an actor, he could use this presence to his advantage. It did not take very long for the stage actor to secure roles in the epics such as the blockbusters like The Ten Commandments (1956) and later Ben-Hur (1959), which sealed his position as a leading man in Hollywood.
He kept up his consistent output of historical epics and, as the 1960s concluded, participated in several science fiction masterpieces, starting with Planet of the Apes (1968). There was no doubting the fact that Charlton Heston had become one of the most influential and hard working actors of cinema in the 20th century. Heston was responsible for delivering audiences of all ages with some of the most iconic on-screen performances in film history.
Tombstone, The Movie
The events depicted in the movie, such as the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and the Earp Vendetta Ride, took place in Tombstone, Arizona, in the 1880s. The film is only loosely based on these facts. It features several law officers and bandits from the American West, including Wyatt Earp, William Brocius, Johnny Ringo, and Doc Holliday. On December 25, 1993, Hollywood Pictures distributed Tombstone throughout theaters in a wide release throughout the United States. The film’s worldwide gross was $73.2 million.
To lend the characters a sense of genuineness, Director Cosmatos emphasized the utilization of historically correct details, such as the clothes, props, customs, and setting. The movie featured only real mustaches throughout its entirety.
Val Kilmer spent a significant amount of time honing his quick-draw skills and provided his character with a refined drawl from the South. Tombstone was made to look like it covered a larger area by using two different locations.
The scene where Wyatt pushes an aggressive card dealer (played by Billy Bob Thornton) from the saloon was intended to demonstrate that Wyatt Earp was a man who intimidated others by making use of their psychology. Because he was merely instructed to “be a bully.” All of Thornton’s comments in the scenario were improvised by the actor.
Related Questions
Tombstone, in the state of Arizona, is a desert town that maintains a strong presence of the Old West. In the year 1879, the town was established. Tombstone was established next to the Goodenough Mine, which was responsible for the extraction of silver and its subsequent sale in the surrounding communities. You can definitely visit the city today and get a sense of what the old west was like!
The events depicted in the movie, such as the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and also the Earp Vendetta Ride, actually took place in Tombstone, Arizona, in the 1880s. The movie is only loosely based on these facts. It features a number of lawmen and outlaws from the American Old West, including Wyatt Earp, Johnny Ringo, William Brocius, and Doc Holliday.
Old-School Gentleman Charlton Heston Passes Away at the Age of 84 – Charlton Heston, who was a leading man in Hollywood for more than six decades, passed away at home in Beverly Hills on April 5, 2008. At the age of 84, he had already been afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease.
The movie was recorded and released in 1993. Heston, born in 1923, was 70 years old at the time. His age and experience helps give his character, the farmer Henry Hooker, the gravitas it deserves.
Despite being a National Historic Landmark since 1964, the Sierra Bonita Ranch is not accessible to the general public.
Final Thoughts
According to many critics, Tombstone is the best Western ever made. The film’s popularity has skyrocketed ever since its initial debut in theaters back in 1993.